Source: European Community, 2004

Growth in the European Union

Since its inception, the European Union has grown from 6 to 27 countries! What is required to join the EU and why would countries want to join? Take a look at the chart below to find out.

Joining the European Union

1. Who can join the EU? Candidates for joining the European Union must be states in “Europe.” This, of course, raises the question of where exactly Europe starts and ends. Turkey and Russia are considered by many people European countries, even though most of their physical territory lies within Asia. North African countries such as Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, which were once colonies of European countries, are not considered European. (In fact, one North African country even attempted to apply for European Union membership. Its application was rejected on the basis that it was not a European country.)
2. What are the criteria for joining the EU? The accession criteria are called the Copenhagen Criteria. According to the Copenhagen Criteria, each candidate must:

  • be a stable democracy that respects the rule of law, human rights, and the protection of minorities
  • have a functioning market economy
  • adopt the rules, policies and standards that make up EU law
3. What must the EU do to ensure that it is capable of absorbing the new members? The European Council’s December 2000 Treaty of Nice is an agreement that ensures the EU will be ready to welcome its new members. The Treaty of Nice involves changes to the decision-making process in the EU, such as:

  • new weighting of votes of the member states in the EU’s governing bodies, such as the Council
  • new allocation of seats in the European Parliament
  • and more use of majority voting as opposed to strict unanimity
4. What are the advantages of EU enlargement for its members and for the rest of the world?
  • Enlargement will increase political stability within Europe, rather than erecting new dividing lines
  • Enlargement will increase the size of the single market, making trade rules and procedures easier for third countries
  • Enlargement will reduce economic disparities

Accession 

Accession refers to the process of joining the European Union.

In 1951, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands formed an economic entity which served as a precursor to the European Union. Since then, 22 countries have joined the European Union and many other countries continue to express interest.

Below, you will find a timeline of European Union Enlargement. Visit the European Commision’s website for a history of the EU, more information, and an interactive timeline.

Member States Accession Information Year of Accession
Belgium
France
Germany
Italy
Luxembourg
Netherlands
  • These countries are the Founding Members of the European Union
 1957
Denmark
United Kingdom Ireland
  • The United Kingdom applied to join the European Communities in the 1960s, but was unsuccessful because France vetoed the United Kingdom’s accession
  • Denmark was the first of the Nordic countries to join the European Communities
 1973

Note: As of 2020, the United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union
Greece
  • Together with Spain and Portugal, is part of the “Mediterranean Round” of enlargement
  • Had also recently disposed of an undemocratic government
 1981
Spain
Portugal
  • Both of these member states, just shortly prior to accession, had undergone a process of democratization following periods of authoritarian rule
 1986
Sweden
Finland
Austria
  • Referenda were held in each of these countries on accession to the European Union.
  • Norway was one of the candidate countries in this round of enlargement, but Norwegians voted no to accession in a nation-wide referendum
 1995
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Hungary
Latvia
Lithuania
Malta
Poland
Slovakia
Slovenia
  • Many of these countries were former Warsaw Pact states or even former republics of the Soviet Union. They have recently stabilized their economies and democratized their systems of government.
 2004
Bulgaria
Romania
  • These countries joined the European Union in the latest round of enlargement
 2007
Croatia
  • The second former Yugoslav country to join the EU since Slovenia joined in 2004
  • The accession process was hindered by Slovenia, who raised border disputes which they demanded be resolved before Croatia could join
 2013

Candidate Countries

The process involved to join the European Union is complex and requires unanimous approval from existing members. A candidate country is a country that has applied to join the European Union.

Here are the current EU candidate countries:

Discussion

1. The EU’s Copenhagen Criteria stipulates that in order to join the EU, a country must:

    • be a stable democracy that respects the rule of law, human rights, and the protection of minorities
    • have a functioning market economy, and, adopt the rules, policies and standards that make up EU law

What other criteria do you think are necessary criteria in order for a country to join the EU?

2. What do you think are the benefits of EU enlargement for the candidate countries? For the existing member states? For the rest of the world?

3. What do you think are the disadvantages of EU enlargement for the candidate countries? For the existing member states? For the rest of the world?

DID YOU KNOW…

That after the enlargement in May 2004,

  • the European Union’s physical area increased by 34%?
  • …and the total population of the EU increased by 105 million people?!

Sources

European Commission: Enlargement | FR

Activities of the European Union: Enlargement | FR

European Parliament: Committee on Enlargement

Joining the EU | FR

News

Q&A: EU Enlargement from BBC news, 1 January 2007

La documentation francaise – Elargissement de l’Union Européenne

The Guardian (UK) – Special report on the 2004 Enlargement

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